High sugar intake can contribute to obesity and poor dental hygiene. Credit: PA

She said parents were better off giving their children diluted juice or - better still - water and a piece of fruit.

Concerned parents should also steer clear of artificially sweetened drinks as they were "training" their children's tastebuds for high levels of sugar.

AOS also called for the government to remove fruit juice from their list of suggested ways to get five a day.

Public Health England's chief nutritionist Alison Tedstone said families needed to be conscious of their sugar intake.

But she did not back calls to rethink the inclusion of juice in the five-a-day guidelines.

Fruit juice is a useful contribution towards our five a day, however, because the process of juicing releases sugars from the fruit we recommend that you try to limit your fruit juice to 150mls a day, including that from smoothies and only consume these and other sugary drinks with meals to reduce the risk of tooth decay.

– Alison Tedstone

But the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) said fruit juice consumption in the UK equated to an average of just 45ml per person per day - accounting for 1% of the calories in the average British diet.

A spokesman for BSDA also accused AOS of "ignoring the evidence" because they were politically motivated.